Paul (2011)
| running time = 104 min. | country = USA | language = English | budget = $40,000,000 | gross revenue = $37,371,385 (US) | preceded by = | followed by = }} Paul is an American comedy film with elements of science fiction. It was directed by Greg Mottola and written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who also play the main characters in the film. It was presented by Universal Pictures in association with Relativity Media and produced by Working Title Films. It was released theatrically in the United States on March 18th, 2011. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play aspiring comic book creatorsand sci-fi geek Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings, who go to the San Diego Comic Con for the time of their lives. On their way back however, they come upon an escaped alien refugee named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) and are convinced to help him escape from the Federal agents who are pursuing him and get back home. Plot Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Nick Frost) are British comic bookenthusiasts and best friends who travel to the United States to attend the annual San Diego Comic-Con International, and to take a road trip through the American Southwest to visit sites significant to UFO lore. While driving on a remote desert highway at night, after a tense situation with some rednecks in a diner, Graeme and Clive observe a car driving erratically and then crash. They stop to investigate and offer assistance to the driver, who turns out to be an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen). Clive faints, but Graeme agrees to assist Paul and gives him a ride. Later, United States Secret Service Agent Zoil (Jason Bateman) arrives at the car crash site and informs his unseen female superior, "the Big Guy" (Sigourney Weaver), that he is closing in on Paul. She sends two inept rookies, Haggard (Bill Hader) and O'Reilly (Joe Lo Truglio), to assist Zoil. Graeme, Clive and Paul camp at an RV park run by two Christian fundamentalists; one-eyed Ruth Buggs (Kristen Wiig) and her father, Moses. Upon Ruth discovering Paul, the three are forced to take her with them. After an argument about religion, Paul uses his healing powers to cure Ruth's blinded eye and convinces her to moderate her fundamentalist beliefs. The fugitives stop at a bar and Ruth tries to call Moses, but Zoil intercepts the call and she is accosted by the rednecks from the start of their journey, starting a bar fight in the process. Later, at another RV park, Ruth is questioned by Agent Zoil, but claims to know nothing about "a one-eyed girl" or "two British nerds". Released, she and Graeme retrieve Clive and Paul, who narrowly escape O'Reilly. Frustrated, Zoil orders Haggard and O'Reilly to return to base, but they insist on catching the alien on their own. The group soon arrive at a house owned by Tara (Blythe Danner), who rescued Paul when he first crashed on Earth. As she makes tea for her visitors, Haggard, O'Reilly and Zoil surround the house. The fugitives flee, but O'Reilly shoots at them, igniting gas from Tara's stove and destroying her house. O'Reilly is apparently killed in the explosion. Zoil pursues and catches up to the RV. Due to an error in judgement, Haggard drives off a cliff and is killed. Zoil reassures the Big Guy that he will have Paul within the hour, but she is tired of waiting and informs Zoil that she has ordered a "military response". Paul, Graeme, Clive, Ruth and Tara arrive at Devils Tower National Monument, where they set off fireworks as a signal to Paul's mothership. A helicopter suddenly arrives with agents and The Big Guy. Zoil then appears and starts a stand-off, disabling the agents, but is then wounded by The Big Guy. Secretly, Zoil is Paul's friend and attempting to aid the escape under cover of capturing Paul. Just as The Big Guy is about to kill them, she is crushed by a suddenly arriving spaceship. Paul says goodbye to his friends before he leaves in the ship with Tara. Two years later, Graeme, Clive, Ruth, and O'Reilly (who survived the explosion) are at another Comic-Con where Graeme and Clive are promoting Paul, their best-selling novel. Cast Incomplete Production & Release Cast & Crew Notes & Trivia * The tagline for this film is, "There were many sights they planned to see. This was not one of them." * A running gag in the movie is that no one the guys meet know who Adam Shadowchild is, much to the guys' chargin Recommendations See also External Links References ---- Category:Films Category:2011/Films Category:March, 2011/Films Category:Universal Pictures Category:Relativity Media Category:Working Title Films